6 Ways To Be A Lucky Ducky by @ElsaKurt #RomanceGems

Hang On...

I had about forty words into this post when I read it back and realized, "I sound like a smug jackass." I was explaining why I think I'm a naturally lucky person. I'd have eventually followed up with a clarification that I'm not lucky, I'm just fortunate. So, I can sum up the whole would-have-been post with a few - very true and heartfelt - cliches and platitudes.

• My blessings have been greater than my burdens.
• I tend to always look for the bright side.
• I've gotten up more times than I've fallen.

See, don't you want to roll your eyes? Anyhow, I still want to talk about lucky versus fortunate, positivity, and all that jazz... just in a more useful way. We've all heard what the self-help gurus and motivational speakers have to say. They're all beating the same drum and it's easy to get tone-deaf to the message.

• Yeah, I know I have to think/say kind words to myself.
• Yup, already know about affirmations.
• Uh-huh, clear toxic people from my life. No prob. Got it.
• Meditate, sure.
• Take 'me' time. Yeah, I'll get right on it.

Easier said than done, right? Life is... life. Sometimes, it piles on the garbage so high you can't see the sky, and the mantras are hollow. But (there's always a but) it's all true. I can't give you a how-to that you've never heard before. All I can do is reiterate.

1. You do have to put your foot down and protect your peace; even if it means disappointing someone else. 
2. If you are taking on the weight of the world, it's because someone else is not carrying their fair share. 
3. Remove toxic people from your life. And if you can't literally remove them, remove yourself emotionally from them.
4. Stop apologizing and feeling guilty.
5. Stop making and accepting excuses.
6. Look for beauty.

Ugh, I'm Self-Help Guru-ing You, But...

That last one is more important than you might think. Sometimes we forget what an exceptionally beautiful world we live in. Seek beauty every day and remind yourself how lucky we are to see such sights. Personally, nature is my reset button. If I can't get to a beach, forest, lake, or garden I get internally hysterical. It's usually after doing too much people-ing and absorbing negative energy. Last week, I took myself to the beach for nature therapy and experienced pure joy. And I have pics to prove it...

Not my pup, by the way. This little sweetie trotted up to say hello a few times, making a glorious day even greater. I also collected a bucket's worth of those peachy little jingle shells, but I have no idea yet what I'm going to do with them. Have any crafty suggestions, anyone?

Reality Check

I admit, on a day like that one, it's easy to feel waves (pun intended) of gratitude and good fortune. But those days when it feels like everything has gone wrong? Lord love a duck, it ain't easy. The good news is, it's okay to not be okay sometimes. Take the five minute (or hour, or day-long) pity party. That's self-care, too. Allowing yourself to feel unlucky instead of insisting I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay is... okay.

Stand By For The Segue

Speaking of unlucky (subtle, right?)... My latest release, book five in Welcome to Chance, is Feather Anne's Song and oh, boy misfortune abounds for my dear friends in Chance. This one's a rollercoaster with steep drops and sharp turns. Don't be too upset with me; I'm upset enough for all of us! Short blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Feather Anne Byrd already knows what she wants to do with her life. In fact, she's know it for a long time... and she's never told a soul. Until now.She's loved Brandon since forever, and he loves her. They've even planned a future together - marriage, children, and a house with a white picket fence. But then Nick shows up with his guitar and bad boy good looks. Just when her dreams start to come true, the unimaginable happens, devastating not only her, but the people she loves most in the world. Can this small-town girl leave it all behind for the lure of the big city and the call of her dreams? Or will love keep her tethered to the town she once despised?

BUY SERIES HERE

There's also a bonus story for my newsletter subscribers (and monthly giveaways!) if you're interested. Click HERE to join. And if you're a new or aspiring author, grab your FREE WRITE>PUBLISH>PROMOTE Timeline HERE.

Oh, and I'm happily at work on book six, which is the final installment in the series... at least in full novel form. Perhaps there's a prequel or side-story that wants to be told. We shall see. Anyhow, I TOTALLY make up for the rollercoaster in book five. See...

I think luck is on their side this time around ;)

Speaking of lucky... do YOU want to get lucky? 

Not like that, you naughty thing, you. 

I'm talking about our March  Lucky in Love Giveaway! Check out the Monthly Giveaway page for details and get lucky!

Persistence and aspiration by Jan Scarbrough #RomanceGems

Our Romance Gems theme this month is Lucky in Love. I have to say I was lucky to find my husband of twenty years. He was a blind date, after all. Life is full of happenstance (occurring by chance) and luck. But there’s more to life than that.

Here is a blog I wrote July 23, 2015, on my personal blog. It’s something to think about.

My personal trainer told me this week that to lose weight, it takes persistence and aspiration. He probably didn’t use the word aspiration. I picked it because it happens to be the name of my favorite horse at Premier Stables—Calloway’s Aspiration—aka Dan. (You see, horses with fancy names have barn names too.)

I looked up aspiration in my Word thesaurus and got various suggestions—ambition, goal, objective, desire, and hope. For me, losing the weight I’d put on over the years had a lot of hope to it. I’ve been at this weight loss thing with the personal trainer since October, and I’m happy to report a small success, enough to keep me motivated.

But I’ve been persistent. Who knew I’d become a Zumba class member or try a fifty-five minute cycling class? (Ouch!) Cardio exercise is my friend. Right. If I’d only realized that twenty years

ago.

Looking back, I can apply persistence and aspiration to other parts of my life. It’s been thirty years since I decided life was too short and if I wanted to accomplish my dream, I’d better get at it. When I tell people I write romance novels, they are impressed. Then I start apologizing—“I’m not a bestseller. I don’t have a traditional publishing career. I can’t make a living at it.”

Why do I sell myself short?

Most people have not written a novel or a novella, let alone about twenty-one of them. And most people can’t ride a horse, especially at “my age.” When I look at it that way, I’m proud of myself!

I’m proud of my small weight loss. I’m proud of every novel I’ve written. And I’m proud I can ride an American Saddlebred horse like Dan.

It just takes a little will (aspiration) and drive (persistence).

My March Giveaway

Would you like an ebook copy of my first book, Kentucky Flame, set at an American Saddlebred horse farm?

Rules:

1.     Open to everyone.

2.     To be entered, leave a comment (with your email address written out) on any of the topics I mentioned.

3.     Giveaway open until March 11 at 10 a.m. EDT.

4.     Winner selected by Random Draw.

Head over to our Monthly Giveaway for the Romance Gems March contest.

Luck of the Draw by @karilemor #RomanceGems

You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives. That old saying is so true. I hear so many stories about family nightmares.  People who have horrible family members who do terrible things to them. Or don’t support them. Or they don’t get along and haven’t spoken in years. I thank God every night that isn’t me.

I grew up with parents who loved me and taught me right from wrong. Even though they divorced, it wasn’t until I was in college, so we never had to bounce between homes. If my parents were in the same room, they were very cordial to each other. When my dad passed away a few years ago, my stepmom didn’t have enough money to pay for the funeral, so my mom pitched in. Even though he’d been the one to leave and they hadn’t been married in over 30 years. That was my role model growing up.

I get along well with my siblings, and we make it a point to keep in touch even though we don’t all live near each other anymore. Social media has made this far easier. I also have tons of cousins who I don’t see often enough, but when I do, it’s so much fun.

Now I’ve been married for almost 33 years and have three children and two grandchildren. Every day I thank God for these people in my life. My children have all grown up to be responsible, respectful, and loving individuals. My middle child just got a new job and moved about an hour away. Both her brother and sister (who has two small children, one still an infant) took the entire day to go help her finish packing, clean up her old apartment, and drive down to her new place. Then they helped her move it all in and clean up there, too.

I worried at first, because my husband and I are currently residing in Florida, and we weren’t there to help our child. I needn’t have worried. All three of my children love each other, help each other, and make sure they are there any time one of the others needs them. I like to think I had something to do with their caring nature.

Families like this are so beautiful that I felt I needed to create one. Thus, the Storms of New England were born. The Storms start with grandparents, Hans and Ingrid, who have three sons. Kris, Nick, and Pete all work together at Storm Electric and live in the fictional town of Squamscott Falls, New Hampshire. They are all married to lovely women and have children of their own.

All these cousins were lucky to be raised in the same town as each other and able to grow up and spend time together. I have been having so much fun playing with all ten cousins as I write a story for each one of them.  I hope you’ll take the chance to get to know the Storms as well.

Book 1 is ELUSIVE DREAMS - Erik Storm’s story -

An injured Marine fighting to walk again.

An introverted loner afraid of the world.

When two orphaned children need a home,

this couple has to find a way to heal together,

or risk losing their perfectly imperfect family.

This book released last August and is currently on sale for only 99c at the following retailers.  (Limited time)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W523P6T/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/elusive-dreams-kari-lemor/1132758753

https://books.apple.com/us/book/elusive-dreams/id1475438745

Book 2 is TRUE DREAMS - Sara Storm’s story.

A recovering addict in search of a quiet life.        
An innocent optimist seeking fame and fortune.  
When he meets the woman who’s willing   

to look beyond his tortured past,  
he’ll need to choose between his newfound serenity and a life that nearly destroyed him.

This book just released a few days ago. You can find it here:

https://www.amazon.com/True-Dreams-Storms-England-Book-ebook/dp/B083QRXWV9/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/true-dreams-kari-lemor/1136076110

https://books.apple.com/us/book/true-dreams/id1494642787

Book 3 is STOLEN DREAMS - Alex Storm’s story.  I’m hoping to have this book out by the end of April.

Book 4 is BROKEN DREAMS - Nathaniel Storm’s story.  I’m shooting for a summer release for him.

  

~~~

Make sure to peek at our March giveaway!!  Maybe you'll be Lucky in Love!  

Check out our Monthly Giveaway for all the details, as well as a link to long entry form.

Or you can click HERE.

Why not practice your daily entry skills by commenting below! 

I'd love to hear about your family and how lucky you are. 

What's Luck Got to Do With It? by Nancy Fraser

If you'd have told me thirty years ago that I'd become a romance novelist, I'd have probably suspected you'd lost your marbles. My life plan at that time consisted of family, a nine-to-five job, and my boys' sports. Summer vacations were always a trip to Nova Scotia to visit my in-laws farm and then back to the same-old, same-old.

However, once I rediscovered a long-forgotten love a writing, all sense of normalcy flew out the window. Thankfully. I've already recapped how I began writing in my column In the Beginning. What I didn't talk about was the "luck" you need to actually make it in this crazy business.

Here are just a few (of many) things that require luck when you decide to become an "author":

Finding a support system. Whether it's a group of like-minded authors (such as a chapter of Romance Writers of America) or just a critique partner or two, it's important to have someone at your side who understands what you're attempting to do. If you're really lucky, you'll find critique partners who know more than you do and aren't afraid to call you on your b.s.

Defining your niche. Being able to decide which genre best suits your style of writing. This is something I've never been able to fully define, despite my years in the business, and why...as my tagline says...I jump across romance genres with gleeful abandon. However, that said, deciding on single genre is a better strategy to build a long-term audience. The luck comes in picking the right one and running with it.

Finding an agent. Back when I began writing, agents weren't a necessity. For those of us who have been writing a long time without one, they are still not an absolute. For a new writer who aspires to a big publishing career, finding a partner representative is crutial.

Discovering your strengths. Sometimes we stumble over them. Sometimes they come naturally based on past life experiences. I have no medical knowledge, other than from twenty-odd years in a totally administrative position. I'd never want to write a medical thriller. However, I can write the gritty behind-the-scenes stuff with competence, humor, and creativity.

Getting an unexpected break. My unexpected break came in 1996 at the RWA conference in Dallas. Like a number of the members of the Romance Gems, I attended a workshop given by the late Kate Duffy, an editor for Kensington Books. In the workshop, she detailed a new line of books that were part of a joint effort with Walmart. That was the beginning of the short-lived Precious Gems line. And, for a few of us who are part of this group, it was the beginning of our publishing career. My first book, Courting Trouble, was bought within three weeks of the conference, as was my critique partner's first book. It was a blessing to become a published author at the same time as one of my best friends.

Repeating a "ground floor" experience for a second time. No matter how a career has progressed, getting in at the beginning of a new venture is always exciting. I was one of the first authors to be published by The Wild Rose Press when they opened their doors over 14 years ago. I was also a year-one author with Entangled Publishing. I still write for both and am eternally grateful for their ongoing support.

Finally, and most importantly, finding a great group of authors and readers with whom you can dish on nearly any subject. I feel fortunate to have discovered the Gems and for having the opportunity to reach out each month on this blog.

Despite the hard work and moments of doubt, there is no more rewarding career (other than family) than being a writer. We have the power to reach out and touch people in a very profound and entertaining way. And, if that's not "luck", I don't know what is.

Speaking of luck, don't forget to enter this month's Rafflecopter drawing for two Amazon gift cards. You can find all the details on our Monthly Giveaway page. Or, you can go straight to the Entry Form. Either way, it only takes a minute or two of your time for a chance to win!

Until next month ... stay lucky !!

Nancy

February Contest Results and March's "Lucky in Love"

Celebrating One Year of Romance and Valentine's Day at the same time turned out to be a huge success. Our Rafflecopter contest had over 1700 entries. The following people turned out to be one of four in those 1700:

First Place - $20 Amazon Gift Card: Alan Saxon

Second Place - $15 Amazon Gift Card: KV Headen

Third Place - $10 Amazon Gift Card: Tracy Urschler

Fourth Place - $5 Amazon Gift Card: Christy Meyer

Congratulations to our winners.

So, now that the prizes have been awarded ... what's coming up for March???

The tasks have changed this month. Rather than individual tasks for each author, we've added a daily task called "Comment and Win". Just comment on an individual author's blog post. Then, go to the Rafflecopter entry form, select an entry for that day, and enter the date where requested.

You can come back daily, leave another comment, and then claim another entry. Easy-peasy!

Our prizes for the month of March have changed as well. Check out our Monthly Giveaway for all the details, as well as a link to long entry form.

If you're in a rush and just want to get to the entries, you can click HERE.

Why not practice your daily entry skills by commenting below! I'd love to hear about your favorite way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

Nancy (Keeper of the Contest Details)

March 3 Post by Karen Whiddon

For this month's blog post, I'd originally started out to do a post on the craft of writing.  I'd planned to talk about Romance Tropes, since my April book features a heroine with amnesia.  (See, I got that plug in anyway!)

Instead, as if my preference, I decided to talk about something personal.  My house.  Not just a house, but a home.

26 and a half years ago, one of the roads I took to work underwent major construction and they made a detour through a brand-new neighborhood going in.  They had model homes and there were two different builders - Pulte Homes and Gehan Homes.  At the time, we lived in a small but comfortable house, the three of us - my husband, me, and my then 13 year old daughter.  We had a mini-Schnauzer named Skipper and a Border Collie named Cody.

Anyway, one day my daughter and I went and looked at the model homes and one that was a "spec" home, ready for move in.  Long story short, I convinced my hubby to come look and we ended up choosing a lot and contracting to build a new large, two story, four bedroom home.

This home has seen many changes over the years.  We put in a pool, remodeled the kitchen one appliance at a time, and got granite counter-tops.  Light fixtures, new carpet, new sod, new fence, landscaping, all the usual things.  New air conditioning unit plus new furnace.  Remodeled the pool. This house has sheltered our family and we've loved it in return.

Many dogs have come and spent their entire, too-short lives here.  They've ran the yard, swam in the pool, and sunbathed in the grass.  We've had parties and cookies, both family and friends, hosted numerous holiday gatherings, though now much of that family has passed on.   Every holiday, we still decorate the house and the yard, though even that is beginning to be a bit too much for us.

Our neighborhood has aged, gracefully I think.  All of the children have grown and there are grandchildren visiting neighbors now.  People have sold houses and moved on.  Some of the homes are on their third or fourth owners.  We, the people next door, and just a few others on our street, are the original owners.

Reluctantly, my hubby and I have begun discussing down-sizing.  The stairs, the large yard, the pool, and the numerous trees with their over-abundance of leaves and sweet gum balls (good Lord, why didn't anyone tell me about those things?) are beginning to be too much for us to maintain.  We'd like a one-story house, close to my daughter, with a decent yard, no pool, and much less maintenance.
Except both of us are super attached to this house.  And after 26 years here, we've accumulated way too much junk.

I've been looking awhile.  Used homes as well as new.  My preference is new, but who knows.  We may end up living here until we have to crawl up the stairs (all bedrooms are up.)

So we'll see how this all shakes out.  For now, this summer we'll enjoy the pool.  The dogs will swim and run the yard.  We'll cook out and maybe start to thin down some of our possessions.  A new neighborhood is going up very close to my daughter's home, and I plan to look at the model homes when they're ready.

Life changes.  Sometimes we have to face that fact.  Other times, we have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the future.  We'll see how this goes.

Check out our Romance Gems video https://youtu.be/KofD5rmTirw

March Madness by @JoanReeves #RomanceGems

Spring is coming!

I'm suffering from March Madness. (Giveaway Alert!)

No, not the never-ending televised basketball games. I'm talking about the things that drive me mad.

(Giveaway Alert. Read to the end.)

1. Internet

My March malady called internet started late Friday night. No internet. No websites. No email, etc.

Darling Hubby and I have been saying for the last 3 years that we need to change internet service providers yet we haven't.

Why? Because it's such a PITA. I think after this escapade, we'll be forced to find another ISP. Just got internet restored a short while ago which is why this post is late. This isn't even what I planned to blog about, but sometimes you have to vent.

Stress-2902537_1280. Image by Pete Linworth. PIXABAY

2. Crazy Houston Drivers.

For the last 2 weeks, I've been driving my daughter every day to her various doctor and hospital appointments. Each time I drive, I end up thanking Jesus that I'm still alive.

What is it with today's driving population? Apparently a red light now means make it if you can.

A driver with that philosophy ran a red light three weeks ago and killed 3 people in an SUV was proceeding when the light turned green.

As for Stop signs? Forget about it. At the gated entrance to my community, there is a Stop All Ways sign. I estimate at least 50 per cent of drivers run those stop signs. I've escaped being T-boned when turning left into my community several times. The only time everyone stops is when a Deputy Constable is parked there.

3. Internet Trolls

Is it me or do people online seem to be even more belligerent, crude, and hateful than ever before? I guess it's the anonymity offered by the Internet.

I can hardly believe the comments some people leave on websites. Why can't someone disagree with another person without resorting to insults, crude language, and hate-filled diatribes?

Venting Over

chihuahua-dog-puppy-cute-39317_Pixabay

Okay, on to happier topics. Maybe even some pictures of puppies, kittens, flowers, and other fun things.

Our February anniversary promotion was a big success.

Nancy Frasier will give you details in her post and will give you the scoop on our March Promotion.

Thanks and Best Wishes

I'd like to thank everyone who reads Romance Gems and who take the time to leave comments and enter our Giveaways. You all make us feel our time spent on this blog is worthwhile. On my first of the month post, I like to give away something.

My March 1 Giveaway

1. Open to everyone.
2. To be entered, leave a comment (with your email address written out) on any of the topics I mentioned.
3. Giveaway open until March 5 at 6pm CST.
4. Winner selected by Random Draw.
5. Prize is a free ebook copy of Liam's Wild Irish Rose, the new story in my A Moment in Time series, which publishes March 10.
NOTE: If I have had to go out of town due to my older brother's surgery, I'll send the ebook when I return home.

I don't have the buy link as I write this, but it will be available asap.

Excerpt from Liam's Wild Irish Rose
Copyright © 2020 Joan Reeves

When the house band in the Mexican-Irish pub began playing Danny Boy, the crowd cheered. As usual, the first verse was in English.

The next verse was in Spanish with the words projected on one of the big screen televisions. Everyone sang along with both versions. Those not knowing Spanish gamely sang and laughed their way through the lyrics.

The song, a standard in every bar on St. Patrick’s Day, was always sung in Spanish and in English at Juan O’Hara’s Mexican Irish Pub. Liam Harper knew the words in both languages, but his focus was on scanning the crowd for a particular redhead, not on singing with the rest of the standing-room only crowd.

Disappointment settled over him. He’d thought—hoped—she’d come. But she hadn’t. He swirled the foamy liquid in his mug. He wasn’t crazy about green beer, but tradition was tradition. Laughter and applause told him the song was over. He gave a loud whistle and saluted the band with his beer then set the mug on the bar and pushed it to the opposite edge so the bartender could take it away.

Tonight was a celebration so he plastered a smile on his face and tried to pretend he was happy. He leaned his elbows on the bar and watched the crowd some more. He’d give it another half hour before he said goodnight to his brother and Cheyenne, the woman who’d captured Luke's heart.

The pub was packed thanks to clever marketing by Juan whose Irish dad and Hispanic mom had made Juan O’Hara’s one of the most popular bars in the greater Houston area. He knew there was a line snaking down the sidewalk from the front door to the parking lot.

Liam caught Luke’s eye, and the two brothers exchanged grins. His brother looked so damned happy that it was nearly disgusting. By no means did he begrudge Luke his happiness. If anything, he understood how his brother had fallen so hard for Cheyenne Smith. He understood because the same thing had happened to him when he’d met Cheyenne’s friend Maura O'Reilly.

How ironic that of all the women in the world, he fell for the one who seemed to have no interest in him. At least no interest outside the bedroom. A lot of men would think that was the perfect relationship—hot sex with a beautiful woman who had no interest in an actual relationship.

Unfortunately, Liam wasn’t one of those men. He wanted Maura, and he wanted all of her, not just sex, although that was earth-shattering all by itself. The minute he’d seen Maura, he’d been lost in her emerald green eyes. He’d thought she felt the same because her green eyes held his gaze, as if time had stopped ticking away. Neither seemed able to look away. He couldn’t not ask. “Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

Her reply wasn’t what he’d expected. “Dinner? Sure, but just so you know, I don’t date the same man more than three times.”

He’d been Mr. Cool. “I just asked you to dinner, not to wear my letter jacket and go steady.”

Mr. Fool was more like it. Oh, they'd been together more than three times, but she continued to assert that they weren't in a relationship.

Just then the band started playing My Wild Irish Rose. As if Fate had planned it, Liam saw his wild Irish rose across the room. Their eyes met, and his pulse sped up. Hope flared in his heart.

Could St. Patrick's Day improve his luck? Could he finally get Maura to commit to him?

March is a wonderful month with flowers popping out all over, the first day of spring, and of course, St. Patrick's Day. Have an awesome month!